Vivify
by ThePrincessTurk
Summary: When Takuma transfers to Ouran Highschool host club he doesn't expect anything more than a strictly educational experience. All he had to do was keep his secret, a secret for as long as it took. He didn't expect to meet friends in the process, let alone fall in love.
Tamaki paced the club room waiting for the new arrival. He hadn't yet told the others, but he figured that Kyoya at least already knew. There was little the raven haired boy didn't know about the lives of his friends. Tamaki however did have a carefully concealed secret, one the he simply couldn't afford anyone to find out. The one he was waiting for could very well reveal his secret, without even meaning to. His haven would then fall apart, the one place where he knew he would be accepted was at risk. But he couldn't ignore the wishes of his father and more importantly the council. One of their children was coming to live with him for about a month and he couldn't screw this up. He had to redeem his name, even if he wasn't the legitimate heir of his family.

Glancing at his watch, Tamaki scowled. He was late, and at this rate Tamaki would be late for class himself. He had already missed his lunch waiting. Perhaps Haruhi had noticed his absence, and maybe she even missed him. He grinned at the thought of his darling daughter, but the smile slowly slide off of his face. He would kill for that to be true, even though deep down he knew it wasn't. Although he couldn't say much, for he'd realized his feelings to her recently. Perhaps someday she would come to understand and maybe even reciprocate his feelings, though it was unlikely. She didn't seem to notice his affections for her and remained oblivious, content with their friendship remaining as it was. Wilting slightly, Tamika paused in his pacing. His little Haruhi would probably never understand, but he would always be there for her. Until the day that he lost her forever, he would keep trying to keep her happy. It was his duty as a host.

The door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts. A tall blonde figure strode in. He surveyed the room quickly, taking in the extravagant decor. He paused when his eyes hit Tamaki. A small smile spread across his lips and he walked over, his movements graceful and refined. Offering a hand, Tamaki took it and warily shook the other boys hand. While frustrated at the other boys tardiness, it was essential that Tamaki remained on his good side.

"Sorry that I'm late, I'm not used to being up so early and slept through my alarm. I hope I didn't keep you from school too long." He said, his voice light and gentle. Tamaki smiled cheerfully, easily moving into his role as the Host king.

"Of course not. Classes start soon, so we should get going. I'll explain on the way." The blonde nodded and followed Tamaki out of the room. "Takuma, right?" He almost winced at his mistake, to act so familiar with someone he'd just met wasn't the best move. "Can I call you that or would you prefer Ichijo?" Tamaki asked, attempting to remain as polite and proper as he could.

"Takuma is fine." He said smiling slightly at the other blonde, "Do we have the same schedule, I haven't had time to pick mine up yet." He asked sheepishly, "I didn't want to be later than I already was." Tamaki nodded and pushed the club doors open. Moving into the hallway, he held the door for his companion.

"Father figured it would be easier if you only had one guide. However I have club after school everyday and unless you plan on staying you'll have to find your own way home tonight." Tamaki began walking towards their next class, English 3.

"What club are you in?' Takuma asked, his eyes flickering back towards the door. The room they had just been in was for something called a host club. He wondered briefly what exactly a host club was before the other explained.

"I'm the king of the Ouran highschool host club.! What is that you may ask? The Ouran host club is where the school's most handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran academy's playground for the super rich and beautiful." Tamaki proclaimed dramatically, lost in thoughts of his clubs grandeur. Takuma blinked clearly shocked, Tamaki either didn't notice or care and continued on his way. Leaving the shell shocked Takuma to scurry after him.

Several minutes later they arrived outside the classroom. Class had already started and quiet murmurs could be heard from within the doors. Tamaki readied himself for a brief moment before throwing open the doors. The class stopped and two dozen pairs of curious eyes stared at the pair who entered class late. Tamaki scurried to his desk, winking as he passed a group of girls. He sat, leaving Takuma at the front of the room. Shifting awkwardly the green eyed blonde waved at the class.

"I see you've arrived later than initially planned." The teacher remarked, looking quite miffed to have been interrupted in the middle of class. "I'm Mr. Asaito," He turned from Takuma and towards the rest of the class, "As I informed you yesterday we have a new student joining us for the semester." He paused and looked over at Takuma, "Why don't you introduce yourself."

"Hello, I'm Ichijo Takuma. I am normally a member the night class at Cross Academy, however I opted to join the student exchange program this term. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." He grinned brightly and walked over to the only open seat left in the classroom. Before he sat however the teacher held up a hand. Takuma paused and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Do any of you have questions for Mr. Ichijo?" He asked, his gaze flitting to the numerous girl's. Many of their arm's had already shot up, eagerly awaiting their chance to integrate their newest classmate. He lazily pointed at a girl sitting in the front row.

"Ichijo-san, Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked before twirling her hair and letting out a small giggle. Takuma smiled cheerfully and shook his head, causing a few blonde locks to fall into his eyes. He brushed them back with his fingers and turned his gaze to the next girl.

"How old are you an-" One began, only to interrupted by yet another girl asking when his birthday was. She frowned and glared darkly at the other girl who returned the glare with equal ferocity.

"Now, Now girls. Don't fight," he paused, " I turned 17 about a week ago." He finished and he sat before anymore questions could be asked. The teacher soon reeled the girls in and continued the lesson. Takuma gazed out the window, lost in thoughts. The lesson soon passed and he was jolted out of his thoughts at the sounds of the bell.

Tamaki shot to his feet and strode over to the other blondes desk. Takuma hadn't unpacked his stuff, so he simply picked up his bag and followed the eccentric blonde out of the room. Tamaki talked excitedly about his plans for that evening and continued to show him the various hallways and classrooms as they went.

The day passed quickly and soon Takuma found himself standing outside the doors of the host club. It seemed everything about the school was a rather feminine pink shade, he much prefered the more gothic style of his own school. He already missed his other school. Sure, the day class girls were a bit annoying, but Cross Academy was the one place where he truly belonged. Ouran in comparison was a bit overwhelming. There were so many people and each one was expecting to act according to their social standings. Not that the later was any different from Cross academy. There was a social hierarchy within the night class, but not so much amongst the day students. To the other students, the night class was just an elite group of students and as an added bonus, they were all super attractive.

Takuma was shaken out of his thoughts rather abruptly by a small figure bumping into him. It was a girl, about 5 feet with brown hair and eyes. If it weren't for the fact she'd bumped into him, he may not have known she was a girl at all. She didn't exactly have a feminine figure and to top it all off she was wearing the boys uniform. She stumbled and in the process dropped her books. Reflexively, Takuma reached out and steadied her. She blushed and hurriedly bent down to pick up her books.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She said, quickly composing herself. He laughed lightly and leaned against the wall. It was tiring to attend school here. First, there was the time difference and then there came the social expectations. He couldn't just read all day anymore, he was expected to socialize and be his normal charming self. At times his attitude seemed like a farce even to him. Perhaps it was a bit odd for someone to be perpetually cheerful. Really he only did so to be liked and to gain trust from his colleagues. A much different approach from his old roommate Senri, who prefered a much more quiet and cold approach.

"No problem," He replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts. It was silent for a moment, with both parties unsure of what to say. "Are you going here?" Takuma gestured towards the doors. She nodded and readjusted the books in her arms. She reached her free hand towards the door, only to be cut of by Takuma's hand. "Please, let me." He flashed her a charming smile and pulled the doors open.

A cloud of red petals shot towards his face and he stumbled backwards, blinking. As the petals cleared, a room became visible. It had the same elegant style as the rest of the school, with several tables and couches scattered across the room. Heads turned to face them and a familiar blonde launched himself at them.

"Haruhi! Daddy was afraid you weren't going to make it!" He sniffed dramatically and pulled her into his arms. The girl, Haruhi, glared darkly and shoved him off of her.

"Get off." She gave him a blank stare and he slowly backed away, his eyes filling with tears. Takuma sighed and leaned back against the wall to watch it play out.

"Mommy!" Tamaki wailed turning towards a black haired boy. "Haruhi doesn't love me anymore." He ran to the other boys side, tears streaming down his face. Takuma raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Tamaki was beginning to remind him of Hanabusa, but somehow an even more childish version. As he watched, the black haired one reprimanded the blonde for his idiocy.

"How many times must I tell you not to call me that?" Kyoya deadpanned, "Pull yourself together. If you weren't so busy bothering Haruhi, perhaps you would've noticed we have guest." Tamaki froze and recollected himself. He turned to face Takuma.

"Ah. Takuma-san, forgive me. I wasn't aware you were here yet." Tamaki grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Takuma resisted the urge to sigh, the other blonde had a lot more in common with Hanabusa than he'd originally thought. Letting the thought slip his mind he quickly scanned the room. It was a rather large room filled with tables and chair, creating a rather elegant atmosphere. Really it looked like a giant tea party, nothing he wasn't accustomed too. Much like the rest of the school he'd been raised in high society. Sitting at these tables were several other students, all boys with the exception of Haruhi. A set of red headed twins set side by side. Not far from them sat another pair of students, one tall and dark, and the other was a small blonde. Finally a dark haired boy sat, a laptop set before him, his glasses flashing at Takuma from across the room. Taking the initiative, Takuma stepped forward to introduce himself.

"I'm Ichijo Takuma, it's a pleasure to meet you." The boy with glasses shut his laptop and strode towards the two blondes.

"I'm Kyoya Ootori. Your grandfather is in the electronics business, is he not?" Kyoya asked, offering a hand with a polite smile. The twins snickered in the background,

"He doesn't waste anytime." One of them muttered, the other nodded and whispered a response too quiet for Takuma to here.

"That's correct, although he has dabbled in a few other businesses." Takuma grinned, "The Ootori family is in the medical business right?" The other boy nodded but didn't add anything else. Tamaki, noticing the lull in conversation turned towards Takuma.

"The two shady twins over there are 1st year student, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin," The twins smirked and waved, never once losing sync with each other. Gesturing in turn towards the other two in the room, Tamaki continued. "The two over there are 3rd year students, Morinozuka Takashi and Haninozuka Mitsukuni." Takuma sweatdropped, was the blonde really a third year? Meanwhile, Hani was waving cheerfully at him.

"Taku-Chan do you like cake?" He asked cutely, his sparking at the mention of his favorite food. Takuma blinked, but soon let yet another smile spread across his face. He nodded cheerfully. "Really?" Hani asked excitedly, " Will you eat cake with Takashi and I today." Takuma paused, he hadn't planned on staying. Rather, he'd come to ask Tamaki for keys to his house. But it seemed even he couldn't resist the small blonde.

"Alright." He said agreeable. A little cake never hurt anything...


End file.
